


Endurance

by Starofwinter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Chronic Pain, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/pseuds/Starofwinter
Summary: "If I listened to my body, I'd never get anything done."





	Endurance

Cody is moving before Obi-Wan hits the ground, cursing as he’s just a second too late to catch him.  Obi-Wan is sitting up, his face deathly white as he grips his knee. “I’m fine,” the Jedi manages through gritted teeth, “Just stood up the wrong way-”

“Were you hit?”  He curses himself for not noticing before, but Obi-Wan shakes his head.

“No, it’s just- old injury.  I just need a moment, don’t worry.”  Obi-Wan is breathing slowly, the way Cody learned to regulate pain.  “I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are-” Cody winces as he hears the  _ pop _ of a joint being set right, “I’m taking you to the medics.”

“That’s not necessary,” he argues, but Cody is already lifting him into his arms, carrying him to the medics’ tent.  He knows Obi-Wan is still in far more pain than he’s letting on when he doesn’t argue, just sighs. He can feel the Jedi trembling in his arms, and his chest tightens.

Arrow is the one to greet them; he’s one of the older medics, and Cody knows he and Obi-Wan have talked before, so he hopes having him there will keep Obi-Wan from clamming up too much.

“What am I looking at?”

“I’m  _ fine _ -”

Cody sighs.  “General Kenobi collapsed, he says it’s an old injury, but it sounded like a dislocation being reset.”

Arrow nods, gesturing to a table.  “Might as well just take a seat, General, it’s been a while since you got a checkup, and don’t think for a second that I’ll believe you go to the Jedi Healers.”  The stern look on his face magically keeps Obi-Wan from arguing, something Cody is both amazed by and grateful for.

 

Arrow does all the standard procedures for a medical exam, plus a few more scans, before he asks, “How much pain are you in, on a scale of one to ten?”

“In general, or right now?” Obi-Wan asks, and then looks like he regrets opening his mouth at all.  Cody and Arrow both pin him with hard stares, and he sighs. “It’s really not that bad, I’m used to it.  I can handle it.”

Arrow’s lips thin as he raises a brow.  “General, pain is a message from your body.  Means something is  _ wrong _ and you need to fix it.”

“If I listened to my body, Sergeant, I'd never get anything done,” Obi-Wan says with a wry smile, “Really, I can handle it.”

The words feel like a weight in Cody’s chest as he’s struck with guilt over having never noticed anything before; he’s Obi-Wan’s commander.  How much pain  _ is _ he hiding, and how long has this been going on?  There’s anger too, at the Order, for teaching him that he  _ should _ hide this.  They were taught to be loyal to the Order, but he’s already decided the Order can fuck right off, he’s loyal to his general and that’s all.

“General, I don’t think you’re understanding me.  I haven’t seen this kind of damage to a being that’s still able to function like you do.  How long have you been dealing with this?” The medic looks beyond frustrated, and Cody knows he shares the same thoughts.

Obi-Wan shrugs one shoulder, brushing off Arrow’s words.  “Since I was a Padawan. Pain is a part of life. I release it into the Force and keep going.  I don’t have the time or ability to stop, I just have to handle it.”

The medic scrubs a hand over his face.  “Alright. Here’s what we’re going to do.  I’m going to give you some painkillers and muscle relaxants, and you’re going to take them.  You really ought to see someone about your spine - see here,” he brings up the scan, “It’s twisted, and there’s nothing  _ I  _ can do about that, not out here, but there are some specialists on Coruscant you should see next time you’re there.  Your kneecap subluxated - slipped out of place - because the grooves that hold it in place are damaged. Let me guess, you didn’t go to the healers after a bad fall?”  At Obi-Wan’s sheepish look, he sighs heavily. “Well, nothing I can do about that either, not without reconstructive surgery, and I don’t have that kind of training. Besides that, thanks to your spine, your whole body is off-balance, it’s pulling at the ligaments and muscles, and putting pressure on your vertebrae, so it’s probably causing pain everywhere.  Am I right?”

Obi-Wan nods, sighing.  “Sometimes it’s worse than others, but it doesn’t…. it never stops,” he confesses quietly, “No matter what I do, it never stops.”

Arrow nods.  “There are ways to help, even if you’re not back in the Core Worlds.  Take these,” he hands over a few pill bottles, “I’ll get you a list of stretches that can help too.  But General, listen. You don’t have to suffer this alone. We’re your men, we want to help you. You just have to let us.”  He smiles as he sees Obi-Wan nod, and Cody feels that weight in his chest start to lighten. He just hopes Obi-Wan trusts them enough to follow through and let them help him sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> And the theme of me projecting onto Obi-Wan continues. Really though, you can't tell me that the life Obi-Wan has wouldn't result in some kind of chronic pain, or that he would actually _admit_ to being in pain.


End file.
